Off the streets and into society

The Krugersdorp CBD is considered the heart of the homeless yet the local NPO, the Toolbox Community Empowerment Hub, aims to give those destitute a second chance in life.

Andrew Holdsworth, manager at Toolbox, said their main focus is to get the homeless population off the streets by teaching them life-changing skills and ultimately integrating them back into society.

“The skills we teach them are done on-site which include construction, agriculture, security and computer skills. This is a progressive programme, where they start at the bottom. Here, they learn basic skills and then move on to more advanced skill learning and finally into permanent employment,” Andrew explained.

“The hub’s program tackles high unemployment by boosting local economic activities and creating jobs across West Rand communities. It also offers participants opportunities for self-employment and entrepreneurship,” he explained.

He continued that their process starts by first getting the homeless off the street, which is followed by an assessment and a hands-on approach to keep them off the street, where they then only start with the courses they provide to teach them new skills.

“In our two years of operation, we have gotten 19 people off the street permanently, where they are now contributing members of society, and we currently have 54 people following them in our programme in the West Rand,” Andrew added.

The hub is also revamping the Ikusasa Child and Youth Care Centre’s library, with the labour done by members in their programme, which is expected to be finished before the end of the year.

Andrew concluded they have big plans for 2025, such as community gardens run by members of their programmes.